Lower the Bar (So You Can Start)

The bar has gotten so high, so out of reach, that we won’t even begin.

Tschabalala Self | The Refusal is a reinterpretation of the painting No (2019).

I definitely didn’t have this on my bingo card this year, but I’ve found myself saying it week after week in my sessions:

Lower the bar.
Lower it.

I don’t think I realized how many people were living a life of no motion because they were waiting for the right moment, the perfect plan, the green light—something we couldn’t quite pin down. But when I started pulling the thread, it was perfectionism.

Dressed up as preparation.
Masked as professionalism.
Wrapped in the fear of getting it “just right” so we don’t offend… someone.
(We’re still not sure who that someone is.)

Now, I have notoriously high standards. I’ve talked about it ad nauseam over the years. But I’ve picked this up in my work: the internet has obliterated the bar. The bar has gotten so high, so out of reach, that we won’t even begin.

You want your first attempt to compete with someone’s step 20. You want it to have editors, a content manager, a camera crew, lighting, and glam, while it’s just you and your Notes app. You want your idea fully dressed before it even leaves the house, instead of letting it find its wardrobe once it’s out in the world.

So let’s finish this thing together.
Let’s call it done enough.
Let’s give it permission to be OK, not perfect.

Can we both look fear in the eye and tell it to have a seat so you can build your momentum? Because fear isn’t always hiding. Sometimes it’s reworking and refining or “just one more round of research.”

And don’t even get me started on ChatGPT (which I love, by the way)… but it’s a slippery slope for anyone currently wrestling with perfectionism. It’s a bottomless pit of answers that rarely says, “JUST DO IT.”

Here’s what I know for sure:

A lot of the answers you’re looking for can only be found by doing.

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Back when I worked in PR, we’d label things as “working.” A press release, a VIP list—technically done, but still open for edits. “Working” meant we could still tweak it, but it was ready for use now. I laugh now, thinking about how few things ever made it to “final.”

So what if the things you release are also working?
Call it a draft or call it in progress. Just don’t call it not good enough.

I shared on my podcast that my current website is working. It’s not done because I don’t fully know what the “final” version of my work looks like, but that’s not a reason not to start. I’ve got some ideas for a summer update, but it’s still live and working.

I hosted a sleepaway camp for moms last year and gave myself permission to let it be a draft. It doesn’t have to be final this year or next. It gets to be working.

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So, as you lower the bar and begin, ask yourself one question:

Did I show up honestly?

You don’t need to pretend something’s finished to be taken seriously.
<yelling> Showing up means you’re serious.
Showing up builds trust with yourself and your audience (or whoever we’re sending it out to).

This week, I want you to release one thing that’s been sitting in your drafts, your notes app, or your heart.

Slow motion is better than no motion.
Let it be just okay.
And let it be OUT.

Lower the bar.

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About Me

I’m Myleik Teele, an entrepreneur, coach, and community builder. Over the past decade, I have built, scaled, and closed CURLBOX, creating a blueprint for modern brand-building and cultivating thriving communities both online and in real life. Now, my focus is on helping people—from high-level entrepreneurs and executives to those simply trying to create a life that feels good—play bigger while actually enjoying the journey.

If you’re ready to grow without the pressure to be perfect and build a life that truly feels like yours, you’re in the right place. You can also find me on Instagram and my podcast, where I dive into life, business, and everything in between.